Autobiography richard baxter

Book overview.
Published by Matthew Sylvester in 1696 as an 800-page folio entitled Reliquiae Baxterianae: or Mr. Richard Baxter's narrative of the most memorable passages of.
Baxter's account is illuminating at this point both personally and historically, and gives us an important insight into the mindset of those who were ejected.

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Richard Baxter

Richard Baxter (1615-1691) is chiefly remembered for the transformation his pastoral ministry effected on the town of Kidderminster, Worcestershire, during two periods of pastoral ministry there (interrupted by the English Civil War, in which he served as chaplain to the Parliamentary forces) between 1641 and 1661.

Born in Rowton, Shropshire, Baxter attended Wroxeter Grammar School but most of his study was done through his own private reading. He was ordained by John Thornborough, Bishop of Worcester, in 1638, and after a short time as a school-master in Dudley, became an assistant minister in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, before moving to Kidderminster in 1641. After leaving there in 1661, he preached in London, but was ejected from the Church of England the following year.

When almost fifty, Baxter married Margaret Charlton, one of his converts, who was in her early twenties. In spite of the difference in ages, they had an excellent marriage, and Margaret shared her husband’s passion for Christ and the salvation of souls. Baxter suffered much ill-health, and the las

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Baxter was one of the most influential of the Puritans. He recognised the value of writing about 170, which have sold in tens of millions since. The amazing thing is that whilst he was such a prolific auhtor he also exercised an exemplary pastoral ministry, preached to Oliver Cromwell and Chalres II, and was hounded by the authorities. Baxter was eventually imprisoned by the notorious 'bloody' judge Jeffreys whom Baxter obviously exasperated "I see the rogue in your face". said Jeffreys during the trial, "I was not aware my face was so true a mirror". Shot back Baxter. During his pastorate at Kidderminster in England he, and one assistant, were catechising 800 hundred families per year by taking them in groups of 14 or 15 families on Mondays and Tuesdays. On Thursdays, Baxter acted as an informal judge, settling forms of conscience. The effect on the community was such that 'the jails in Kidderminster were empty' at this time - yet he considered all this as secondary to his writing. Baxter's autobiography is fascinating because you can read the thoughts behind his plans, actions a

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Church History

by Lee Gatiss

While undertaking research recently for a book on the persecution and ejection of the puritans from the Church of England in 1662,[1] I had the pleasure of reading a first edition copy of Richard Baxter’s autobiography. The aim of this article is to assess the value of Reliquiae Baxterianae published in 1696 as a source for the history of the Restoration religious settlement, and to examine Baxter’s agenda and bias. Though this decisive religious settlement underwent various legislative alterations and was enforced with differing degrees of severity during the reign of Charles II, its essential foundations were laid in 1660-1662. It is to these decisive years that we will, therefore, particularly confine our attention. Baxter’s account is illuminating at this point both personally and historically, and gives us an important insight into the mindset of those who were ejected from the national church in the seventeenth century. For all its prolix verbosity, it remains a ‘must read’.